The Year of the Turtle: A Natural History by David M. Carroll

by David M. Carroll

Presents the fascinating life history of freshwater turtles, looking at their yearly cycle and the flora and fauna that share their habitat

Genres: Natural History, Nature, Science

Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Naturalist and artist David M. Carroll's "The Year of the Turtle" is a wonderful study of a single season spent observing turtles in a somewhat remote area near his New England home. It has very nice illustrations by the author of turtles, mammals, birds, insects, and plants, along with a hand drawn map of the area.
Starting with the emergence of the turtles coming out of hibernation, through mating, nesting and laying of eggs, the summer, the hatching of the newborns, and finally going back into hibernation, Carroll covers it all with fine storytelling and great detail.
My favorite parts were about the spotted turtle, very rare in my home state of Delaware. And though it is mostly about spotted turtles, painted turtles, and snapping turtles and their behavior, he also covers various other reptiles and natural life in the pond area.
I am an amateur herpetologist and I learned much from this book, but anyone with an interest in nature will enjoy it. Carroll makes you feel his joy with his observations and thoughts about the creatures and world that he so obviously loves.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, meditative journey through the life of turtles in a year. We see the emergence of turtles in the spring, through the laying of eggs in the fall, and the hibernation of turtles for the winter season. We see, with the author, the empty shells of turtles killed and eaten by predators, along with empty eggs dug up after laid.

The book seems written in a quiet, thoughtful way - a real nature journal. Complete with sketchings and a few watercolor prints by the author of the plants, animals, and turtles found in the wet areas that he visits. Truly a lovely read.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. The author describes a year at a rural location in New England called the Digs where he searches for turtles, observes their behavior, and paints a picture of the complete environment there. The author is a trained artist and has illustrated the book with pen and ink drawings and color plates of his paintings. The text has serial dated paragraphs like diary entries and the rest is his sensual description of the weather, topography, flora, and fauna. We learn quite a bit about the various species of turtles that are present e.g., most can only swallow under water.
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The pages are 7 and 3/4 by 7 and 7/8 inches, but the text is printed in 3 columns and it seems like it is in a landscape format. It is a very attractively designed book.

[John Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago and loved it. I was lucky enough to see a couple of these turtles in Michigan many years ago. It's much more than a book about turtles, it is about the entire environment and how it all fits together. I'm a big turtle fan so this was a great book for me, but it isn't necessary to enjoy this book. The drawings were great, they turned this book from a naturalist journal to a real special creation.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. David M. Carroll describes the turtles he finds and studies so beautifully! He is a true naturalist.

[Jay Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can get lost in the New Hampshire woods, meadows, swales, and sand pits of this gentle, fascinating book. The author takes us on a year's journey as he observes, documents, and enjoys the seasons of the spotted turtle in one particular location in New Hampshire. He also documents and observes snapping turtles, painted turtles, wood turtles, Blanding's turtles, and a variety of other wildlife, plants, and trees. I found myself engrossed in the leisurely day to day expeditions where the author would sometimes sit for hours, wade in the mud and the shallows, and carefully follow nesting turtles for hours. It seemed like the perfect book to read while staying at home.

[Jessica Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book and while I adore the author's lovingly illustrated pen and ink drawings, his writing style is simply not holding my attention.

I've struggled to finish this one - and that is *rare* for me. I LOVE natural histories. This may be a personal thing; give it a try...you may feel differently.

[Turtleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book for those that love exploring wetlands and love turtles. Throughout a year, the author explores a set of wetlands seeking glimpses into the lives of the various species of turtles that live there. Beautifully illustrated by the author.

[Leah Hoelscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful reflective journey following the seasonal patterns of spotted, painted, and snapping turtles in a North Hampshire Marsh.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take this very enjoyable walk with
Carroll in the year of the Turtle.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the 1960s, in the 10th grade, my sophomore year, the first year of senior high, I was given the nickname of “Turtle” by an upperclassman. (Grades 7, 8, and 9 were in junior high.) I was known by many students and some teachers by that name. Ever since, I have been a fan of turtles. I hang a Turtles calendar in my kitchen every year. I have a collection of ceramic turtles and metal turtles. In each of the last five years or so, I have donated to The Turtle Conservancy. However, I have not really known much about turtles. I purchased the book The Year of the Turtle some years ago but never read it until now. It is outstanding. As well as learning a tremendous amount about turtles, it was a very enjoyable book to read. I recommend it to everyone.

In accordance with the title, the chapters cover Emergence, Courtship & Mating, Nesting, Summer, Hatching, and Hibernation. You experience the activities of the author in observing and protecting turtles of various species. It is obvious that his favorite is the spotted turtle, not just by the book’s cover, and the artwork within the book, but by his sketching of the carapace of almost every spotted turtle that he finds. This allows him to recognize a spotted turtle that he saw sometime earlier in that turtle’s life. Still, you learn about several species of turtles. Most of each chapter is the author saying that he saw this or saw that or he did this or did that. However, at the end of each chapter is a narrative about a turtle or turtles in the context of the season of that chapter. These show the best writing in the book.

There are two small things that I think would have made an improvement to the book. First, I would have liked to have the map on pages 14 and 15 be also made available on a small poster that could be pulled out of the book. This would have made it easier to follow along on the author’s treks. Second, although the captions for the color plates are provided at the end of the book, it would have been better to have them printed on each color plate page.

If anyone is interested in helping to preserve turtles and tortoises, you can do an Internet search for The Turtle Conservancy web site and consider making a donation. I hope saying this does not violate some rule of Goodreads.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My next coloring project: a beautiful book purchased in Sept at Acadia National Park, gorgeous illustrations begging for colored pencils. Read and color, read and color - wondering how long this one will take?

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. But then, I am a turtle freak.

[Aletha]

Loved the book! The journal of this trip allows you to embrace a patience of beauty in its many hidden forms. The Turtle!

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, its about turtles. If you've ever really wondered about turtles, read it. If not, hmm, well there are lots of great books to read.

[Maryanne]

The Year of the Turtle 04082010 A Natural History by David M. Caroll
Really really liked

[Jennifer Jones]

Fantastic book! Wonderful to understand the life cycle of these amazing creatures!